Cause Of Sanford Man's Death After Gunshot Awaits Autopsy

The Victim Had Served Time For Manslaughter. He Was Shot But May Have Choked On Food.

April 24, 1995|By Sandra Pedicini of The Sentinel Staff

SANFORD — A Sanford man who served time in jail for a 1989 fatal shooting died early Sunday after an argument over a dice game.

A suspect has been arrested in the death of Reginald Bernard Lawrence, 26, of 1611 Peach Ave. Sanford police said details about Lawrence's death aren't clear.

A witness said Lawrence was arguing with Timothy Thomas, 25, of 2019 McCarthy Ave., Sanford, over a dice game when Thomas shot Lawrence in the thigh. The shooting occurred in front of D&S West Indies, 1407 W. 13th St.

Police charged Thomas with second-degree murder. Police said Thomas told them he and Lawrence were fighting over the gun when it accidentally went off.

But the gunshot might not have killed Lawrence. Sanford police Commander Dennis Whitmire said a doctor at Central Florida Regional Hospital told police Lawrence appeared to have choked on a piece of pepperoni.

The state attorney's decision about whether to keep the murder charge will depend on the autopsy results, Whitmire said.

It's doubtful a gunshot wound to the thigh could have killed Lawrence, Whitmire said, but the shooting might have caused him to choke on the food.

Lawrence was arrested in 1991 on first-degree murder charges in the October 1989 shooting death of Darin Lee Howell, 28. Howell, who police said was going to buy drugs, was shot when he and another man stopped along 13th Street, Sanford.

In 1992, Lawrence pleaded no contest to manslaughter and was sentenced to 366 days in prison.